News

AITP – Kent State Columbiana County Student Chapter

A student chapter of the Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP) is now open for Kent State University students from the Salem and East Liverpool campuses.

The group is open to students majoring in any computer-related field or if computers are vital to their professions. Monthly meetings are held at locations convenient to both campuses.

Assistant Professor Bob Logan is a member of the Akron-Canton Professional Chapter of AITP and worked hard to establish the student chapter for Salem and East Liverpool. Serving his fourth year as president of the Akron chapter, Logan understands fully the importance of belonging to a professional organization.

"The AITP provides opportunities for its members to hear presentations from professionals from big IT companies, such as Microsoft, and to network with people from all across the country," he said. "Students can get advice from professionals working in the field and from job placement agencies. They will meet and interact with people who can help them reach their goals."

Advisors for the club include Logan from the Salem campus, and Shawn Golden from the East Liverpool campus. They are working with club members to make arrangements to attend the AITP National Collegiate Conference in St. Louis in April. The conference includes competitive challenges for college IT teams, representing some of the biggest schools in the country. The Kent State at Ashtabula campus teams placed second and third in last year's .NET Programming competition.

"When you choose an IT career, you have to be aware of evolving technology and it's not always easy to do on your own," Logan noted. "Belonging to AITP can help you develop contacts. People recognize the advantages of having a network of people to seek information and advice from, especially in a field that is constantly changing.

"This organization can help you find your niche and make you mindful of other aspects of IT and how they affect your area of expertise," he continued. "Being an IT professional is a lifestyle. If you are not willing to eat, sleep, breathe and live IT, this isn't for you. You have to live your life around what you do for a living and be willing to keep learning all the time."